EPL Kit Watch: Breaking Down New Uniforms, Rumours and More for Every Club

The 2012/13 Premier League season is fast becoming a distant memory, so what better time for clubs up and down the country to change a few collars, add a bit of gradient, or a watermark and claim that they’re bringing out a new kit—and charge you about £50 for the pleasure?

Already, kits are being released, leaked and rumored for the 2013/14 campaign—and we're bringing you a handy guide to each club's new kit action.

Will your team be launching an understated kit that's smart and has a retro vibe? Or will they try and shock you with a loud, brash design?

Although, to be fair, the biggest shock would be a team saying: “We’re just going to use last season’s kit again. Keep your money in your pockets.”

Arsenal

2013/14 will see the last Arsenal kits made by Nike before Puma starts kitting out the Gunners in 2014/15.

Luckily, it seems that Nike haven’t set out to sabotage Arsenal in their last year (that’s Andre Santos’ job).

So far, we have only seen a leaked Away kit photo via EPLTalk, but if true, it will surely be a favourite among Arsenal fans as it is reminiscent of the away kit from "The Invincibles" era—even if the team is not.

We are yet to see any home kit leaks, or rumours but safe money is on it being red.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s kits will be made by Marcon this season and they'll be launched on June 15^th, 2013 with a music festival to help celebrate its release. So if you like Aston Villa kits, and music (or if your dad does—it's on fathers day) get down to that.

But besides that, we can only speculate. They haven’t even announced a shirt sponsor yet and there haven't been any leaks.

However, a fan on tsmplug.com decided to mock up what he thinks the kit will look like, so we’ll look at them, and pretend football clubs actually listen to their fans. A case in point in the next slide...

Cardiff City

Bad news, Cardiff fans. 

It’s Red. Again.

The Cardiff owners aren’t giving up on having the Bluebirds play in red, as opposed to their traditional blue. But, in fairness to them, they’ve won the league every season (once) they’ve played in red. So under that logic they'll win the Premier League this season.

After the initial choice of having shorts a different shade of red to the top was panned by fans, the club gave season ticket holders a chance to vote for which shorts colour they do want.

Obviously, blue wasn’t an option—so they chose black shorts.

In the statement released with the new kit, the club said:

"

“The club decided to maximise on the Puma King design and adopt a two-tone red home kit this season, helping us stand out in the Premier League crowd. The two Puma King stripes reflect the fans loyalty to the club, which is appreciated by all.”

"

In what way two stripes reflects fan loyalty is anyone’s guess.

There’s no away kit news yet, but you’d hope one was in Cardiff’s traditional blue. However, you wouldn’t put it past the owners to not give them a blue away kit and give them a Swansea City style white one instead.

Chelsea

Chelsea were one of the first clubs out of the official kit release starting blocks, releasing this promotional image that looks like the club has decided to embark on the world’s worst children’s arts & craft TV show (despite similar hairstyles, we doubt David Luiz is a patch on Bob Ross) back in April.

After last year’s gold trim to signify their Champions League win (and doing nothing to signify that they finished 6^th in the league within the kit), they have gone back to basics this year.

It’s a simple design, but it feels like we’ve seen this kit a few times before.

Their leaked away kit, according to CaughtOffside.com, looks like it should be The Dutch national team’s away kit and while their leaked third kit is nice and simple, it does look more like a training top.  

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have not just unveiled their new kits, but they’ve also committed the risky move of unveiling a new badge. A move that is very rarely popular with fans (as the next slide will prove).

However this Palace logo is actually quite a nice redesign that keeps most elements of their old crest and just gives it a little update. However, football fans—who rarely embrace a change from tradition, still might not like it.

When you compare it to the old Palace badge, it looks like the original badge was a Pokemon, and the new one is the Pokemon in its evolved state.

The Eagles must be hoping to follow in FC Basel’s footsteps by beating Spurs, as they have decided to replicate their kit.

The kit manufacturers, Avec, have decided to break with tradition by having very little representation of their logo on the kit and place the club’s sponsor, gac.com, in the top right corner of the away kit as opposed to the usual position across the stomach.

The mavericks.

We’re big fans of the sash, so the away kit gets a thumbs up. A sound effort from Palace for their return to the top flight.

Everton

Everton usually have quite inoffensive, minimalist kits and if these leaked designs from Everton fansite BlueKipper.com are true, we can't see them causing much of a fuss.

However it’s the new badge that has caused controversy among fans. The club have seemingly stripped away the motto and the wreath things, and left only the date of the club’s formation, and that castley-turret building.

Fulham

No official news on the kit, apart from that Fulham are switching from Kappa to Adidas.

So we can only speculate what the kit will be like, but if Fulham continue their tactics from last season of relying on Dimitar Berbatov to do everything, then it will probably be designed, manufactured and sold by him.

Hull City

Famous for having the worst kit in English football history with this travesty from 1992, expectations have been low for Hull kits since.

There hasn’t been any home or away kit leaks at the moment, but Hull City’s MD have announced that the Tiger’s will have their stripes back for the return to the top flight.

Adidas will continue to make the kit and Cash Converters will sponsor them again, with their deal ending at the end of the season.

Hull Managing Director Nick Thompson announced:

"

“It will be stripes! When we have the kit launch we will make sure we have events in east Hull, west Hull and the East Riding.”

"

Devastating news for anyone who isn’t from east Hull, west Hull or the East Riding.

Liverpool

Let’s start on a positive note, Liverpool's new home kit, which they debuted on the last day of the season against QPR, is quite nice. The double lined effect on the sleeve is a particularly nice touch and it recalls the Liverpool kits of the glory days.

But the leaked away and third kits, according to The Metro, have obviously been designed by someone with a grudge against the seeing world.

Looking at the away and third kits, Warrior have decided to live up to their name by declaring war on anyone with eyes.

The away kit looks like it was coloured in with MS-Dos and the third kit appears to be a plain black kit being physically assaulted by a pack of white and purple rhombuses.

Manchester City

Manchester City’s first Nike kit since they left Umbro is a decent effort. Not too much going on but not enough to be boring. If you like City’s trademark pale blue, then you’ll adore it. If not, you could vomit.

It has an exciting feel to it, like looking up to the sky on a summer’s day.

The leaked away kit, according to FootyHeadlines.com, on the other hand isn’t as nice and is a little bit of a let-down. In comparison to the home kit, it’s like looking down a dark alley you have to walk down in a dodgy neighbourhood.

Manchester United

According to Manchester United's official website, their kit for next season will be launched on the 6th of June. (However, the club are still letting you buy it despite not having a clue what it looks like it. Which is good of them.)

This leaked kit, according to talkSPORT, shows that Manchester United are following up on the worst ever kit worn by a Premier League winning team last season, with quite a dull number for the next campaign.

We’re big fans of a collar however, so United get brownie points for that. Perhaps the club finally going back to a collar—and quite an obvious one—is their attempt to tempt Eric Cantona out of retirement?

If this is to be the true kit, it would conflict with the reports from The Metro that claim United will unveil the below as the new badge.

Unfortunately, United's awful obsession with making footballers look like they’re a packet of shortbread—by covering them in tartan—isn’t dead with this alleged leaked away kit, according to FootyHeadlines.com.

Newcastle United

Newcastle have oddly officially released only their away kit, but not their home kit.

Their away kit is a denim blue and seems to have been designed around the sponsor’s logo.

You can pretty much guess what the home kit will be. Standard black and white stripes. Bright blue Wonga logo in the middle. Made by Puma. Maybe a collar, maybe not.

This is what FootyHeadlines.com reckons will be the Magpies' home uniform (just with a Wonga logo):

The third kit, again according to FootyHeadlines.com, is pretty terrible. It looks like early noughties leisurewear for guests of The Jeremy Kyle Show.

Norwich City

When Norwich decided to preview this season’s kit at the end of last season, it got some bad press—but we can’t really see why.

The traditional yellow and green of Norwich aren’t the easiest colours to work with if you are doing anything besides making traffic signs, so less is definitely more.

The block green sleeves compliment the logo of sponsors Aviva, as opposed to making it stand out.

No away kit news as of yet but we’re hoping it’s a tribute to Norwich owner and celebrity chef, Delia Smith; maybe in the design of a cake?

Southampton

Apart from changing from Umbro to Adidas, there is very little to report for The Saints' 2013/14 kits.

The club will again be sponsored by aap3 but fans will probably be hoping that they will return to their traditional red and white stripes, as opposed to last season’s mainly red kit.

Stoke City

Like Newcastle, Stoke have decided to release their away kit before their home kit.

And, like the football under their previous manager, it isn’t pretty.

The uniform would have been easier to look at if it wasn’t for the horrible white hexagons and pentagons dotted around the sleeves and collar without a care in the world.

The lacklustre kit is matched in quality by its slogan: “STOKE ELECTRICITY”.

It's the sort of ELECTRICITY that makes you want to pull the plug and shun all modern technology.

No news on the home kit yet, but with Mark Hughes in charge, it’ll only be a matter of time before we see Jose Bosingwa modelling it.

Sunderland

Sunderland are another team with very little kit news.

They have announced a new shirt sponsor, South African food company BFS Group, and the kit will manufactured by Adidas again.

But besides that, we have nothing on home, away or third kit.

We just hope that Paolo Di Canio has a big say in it. We heard rumours that he has a history with "fashionism."

Swansea City

This is only a leaked kit, according to The Daily Mail, but we’re big fans of it. Probably the best one so far from this year's crop of leaks and officials.

The 2012/13 Capital One Cup holders are speculated to be playing in this kit, however the shirts sponsors are still up in the air.

We’re hoping it is Infiniti as the logo really goes with the black v-shaped neck.

Current sponsors 32Red, Samsung, Nexon and Black and Decker are said to be other options for the kit, which will be, like most Premier League kits this season, made by Adidas.

Tottenham Hotspur

UnderArmour will again be manufacturing this season’s Spurs kit and it’s said to be something along the lines of this—according to the subtle image watermark from Live For Football Shirts.

We have to say we think we’re warming to the inter-war period style neck tie up on the home shirt. The away and third kit seem pretty inoffensive, even if we aren’t massive fans of the yellow.

However, who their sponsor will be still hasn’t officially been announced.

West Bromwich Albion

Another club with little to report, so we've stuck up Albion's anti-smoking kit from the 80s.

We know West Brom will be sponsored by Zoopla again and, no prizes for guessing, made by Adidas.

Besides that, nothing.

Sorry.

West Ham United

These are leaked pictures via FootyHeadlines.com, of the first West Ham kit to be made by Adidas in 26 years.

Adidas take over from Macron and seem to have got it right for this offering.

The away and third kits aren’t anything to write home about (because we always write home about West Ham kits), but the home shirt has the makings for a classic kit. The white collar in particular really goes well with West Ham’s traditional claret and blue.

They will also have a new shirt sponsor in Alpari.

Tell us your favourites of the released kits and which “leaked” kits you hope don't materialize, in the comments below.